Project Carvel Presentation Notes

Introduction

• Last day of the conference, brief introduction of speakers.
  • Somic: Works at Team Tanzu, focuses on developer experience tooling and maintains the project "Carvel."
  • Daniel: Part of Tanzu and Spring teams, works with Java.

Overview of Carvel

• Carvel consists of composable, single-purpose tools for managing applications and shipping them to end users.
  • Keywords: Reliable, Single purpose, Composable.

Key Tool: YTT (YAML Templating Tool)

• YTT is designed for templating YAML files.
  • Understands YAML as a data structure, ensuring valid input/output.
  • Can template any YAML, not limited to Kubernetes resources.

YTT Demonstration

• Starting with basic YAML configuration.
• Uses variables and functions to manage configuration efficiently.
  • Example: Replace values dynamically using variables.
  • Functionality includes deduplication via functions and error feedback for invalid YAML.

Handling Data Input

• YTT allows for external data input through YAML files.
• Users can supply values via command-line flags or value files, enhancing user experience.
  • Example: Accepting values from a data file for ports and channels.
• YTT includes a value schema feature for validating user input.

Overlays and Configuration Management

• Supports applying overlays to large YAML files, similar to customization tools.
  • Ability to match and replace specific nodes in the configuration.

Tool: CAP (Cluster Application Platform)

• CAP manages resources as groups on a cluster.
• Handles resource ordering and dependencies automatically during deployment.
  • Example: Creating namespaces and resources in the correct order.
• Provides a user-friendly alternative to kubectl for deploying and inspecting applications.

Image Management Tools

• KBuild: Helps manage image references to ensure they are immutable and verifiable.
  • Generates lock files to track image versions used in configurations.
• Image Package: Bundles configuration into OCI artifacts for easy distribution and management.
  • Can relocate images across repositories seamlessly.

CAP Controller

• Surfaces APIs on the cluster for application management.
  • Simplifies the flow for obtaining desired cluster state and deploying applications.
  • Allows fetching configuration from various sources, including image packages and git repositories.

Developer Experience

• Uses packaging APIs for easier interaction with the cluster, allowing developers to install applications without deep YAML knowledge.
  • Example: Using kubectl commands to list and install available packages.

Conclusion

• Summary of tools discussed: YTT, CAP, KBuild, Image Package, and CAP Controller.
• Emphasized the need for user-friendly workflows and the flexibility to operate within existing ecosystems.

Q&A Session

• Addressed a question about composability in YTT and the use of the vendor tool for managing configurations.

Resources

• Demo repository and feedback channels mentioned for further engagement.